The mystery surrounding missing procurement records at University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) deepened Tuesday after Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was told that flooding was not responsible for the disappearance of files, casting fresh doubt on earlier explanations given for how the documents went missing.

The revelation marks a significant turn in a controversy that first emerged during the PAC’s March 31 sitting, when senior director of public procurement at UHWI Ainsworth Buckeridge pointed to multiple flooding incidents as a possible factor behind gaps in procurement documentation flagged by the auditor general.

At the time, Buckeridge indicated that the area used to store procurement files had been flooded “at least twice or three times”, raising the possibility that water damage may have contributed to the gaps identified in the auditor general’s report.

At Tuesday’s follow-up meeting, however, that explanation began to unravel.

Responding to questions from committee Chairman Julian Robinson, acting Chief Executive Officer Eric Hosin confirmed that while there had been some water damage over the years, it did not result in the loss of records.

“Mr Chair, based on our investigation, there was some damage. However, there was no destruction of any files,” Hosin told the committee.

Robinson pressed further, seeking to determine whether the flooding could in any way explain why key procurement documents were missing.

“In essence then, while there would have been damage, damage would not have prevented you from having access to the file, even if the file got wet. So the flooding could not explain the absence of the files, then,” he said.

Hosin agreed and the exchange effectively dismantled one of the earlier narratives surrounding the missing records, shifting attention to deeper issues within the hospital’s record-keeping and accountability systems.

The PAC had previously been told that three flooding incidents in October 2020, March 2022, and October 2025, had affected areas where procurement documents were stored. That disclosure had initially raised the possibility that water damage may have contributed to the gaps identified in the Auditor General’s report.

However, Tuesday’s testimony clarified that while the incidents caused some disruption, they did not result in the destruction of files or prevent access to them.

The focus has now turned to what actually happened to the documents.

In a formal response to the auditor general’s findings sent to the committee, UHWI management acknowledged that documentation gaps stemmed from systemic issues, including “fragmented record-keeping systems across departments” and the “inconsistent application of procurement procedures”, pointing to broader weaknesses in governance rather than isolated incidents.

While some progress has been made with 28 previously missing files now located, the hospital has admitted that efforts to find the remaining records are still ongoing.

Hosin told the committee that efforts are currently under way to reconstruct the missing records using information from other departments within the organisation.

“What we have done is we are using information from the finance department and other departments in the organisation to reconstruct the files, and we are in the process of doing that as we speak,” he said.

He added that the hospital expects to complete that process by the end of the month.

At the same time, officials outlined steps taken to address the flooding issues themselves, including drainage improvements and roof repairs aimed at preventing a recurrence.

“We have actually put in a drain to ensure water does not reach the building… as well as we have repaired the roof of the building. And we have not seen any further problems with any flooding or water damage on that building,” Hosin explained.

Despite those corrective measures, committee members remained concerned about how key procurement records could go missing in the first place, particularly in an institution managing significant public funds.

Robinson has since indicated that the committee will continue to probe the matter, including the systems in place for document storage, accountability, and oversight.